Seven Manx primary schools through to tag rugby finals

The winner of the nationwide scheme will play at Twickenham

Seven primary school teams moved a stage closer to playing at the home of English rugby as they reached the Manx finals of the Tag 2 Twickenham scheme.

The east, west and southern qualification rounds were held this week but the northern round was a casualty of Thursday's storms.

Rugby development officer Ian Williams said: "It has been a terrific week with lots of great rugby."

Over 350 boys and girls from across the island will compete in the scheme.

The eastern section was contested by 12 teams with Ballacotier and St Marys reaching the final. The match finished 4-4 and both teams progress to the next round of the tournament.

Twickenham is the largest dedicated rugby union venue in the world

Six teams contested the eastern group, with last year's winners Buchan again proving too strong for their opposition. Both the Buchan teams progress to the final and will be joined by St Johns.

The southern tournament saw Victoria Road A and Kewaigue contest the final, with the Castletown team winning four tries to three.

Once the northern section has been completed, the winning sides will go on to compete for the chance to be crowned the Isle of Man champion on 1 December.

The Manx champions will then compete against the best 24 schools in Britain at the national finals at Rugby School in Warwickshire.

The two finalists will then get the chance to play in front of 82,000 spectators at Twickenham.

Williams added: "The standard has been excellent all week.

"This is the third year of the programme and the skill levels are clearly improving year on year.

"The future of Manx rugby is in good hands with all of the coaches and supporters involved making this a great tournament to be involved in."

Tag Rugby Finalists

East - Ballacotier, St Marys

West - Buchan A, Buchan B, St Johns

South - Victoria Road A, Kewaigue

Northern qualification to be played on 16 November